Greg Ball: It hinges on the bill, and I have doubts

Putnam County Senator Greg Ball, a Republican considered a potential swing vote for same-sex marriage, told me late Monday his vote on the issue depends on how the bill is drafted. Aides to Gov. Andrew Cuomo were finalizing it Monday with gay rights advocates, and promised to release it….soon.

“I need to see the bill text,” Ball said. “I’ve said the entire time we need protections and carve outs and today the governor said he doesn’t feel those carve outs are that important. So he doesn’t have my support, but I have to see the bill.”

“One are religious institutions. The ’09 bill speaks to that specifically. Religious organizations is the second, which the ’09 bill does not speak to and on the third level are religious individuals who have objections. I have real concern and it doesn’t look like those are going to be addressed.”

Cuomo said Monday the bill will be “roughly” the same as the 2009 legislation, and noted that many of the things Ball is asking for are rendered illegal by current state laws, which mandate no one can be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation.

As one same-sex marriage advocate put it to me yesterday: “We’re not going to write discrimination into law.”